Inter Library Loans

The Inter Library Loan Service is available to help you obtain material not held by the University Library.

The service is free of charge to staff and students of the University of Northumbria with a valid Library card, and covers a wide range of material such as books; journal articles; conference papers; and theses.

Before you submit an Inter Library Loan request, please check our catalogue to make sure that we do not have a copy of the item you require in our stock and be selective in choosing which items you require. 

Who can use this service?
The service is offered free to Northumbria staff, Postgraduate Research and Masters students, and Undergraduate students from Semester 2 of Year 2, who are studying at the Newcastle campuses or who are enrolled on a distance learning programme.

How many applications can I make?
Students eligible to use the service may submit up to 50 requests.  If you require more you should contact your Library Liaison Adviser.
Staff and PhD students have unlimited use of the service. 

Inter Library Loans are not included in your standard loan count so the amount of items you can borrow from our own stock is not affected.

How can I apply for an Inter Library Loan?
Submit an Inter Library Loan request using the online form available in the MyLibrary section of MyNorthumbria. Select the relevant form for the type of item you require: book, journal, thesis, or conference paper. If you are unsure please ask at a library enquiry desk, call Library Enquiries on 0191 2274125 or email ask4help@northumbria.ac.uk. If MyNorthumbria is unavailable please ask a member of staff at the library enquiry desk for a request form.

Interlibrary loans will not be processed if you have outstanding fines. Please ensure any outstanding charges are cleared before placing a request.

Copyright regulations state that only one article from any one journal issue can be supplied as a photocopy. If you wish to read more than one article from the same issue please submit a request for a loan of the whole journal issue.

Note for staff and researchers: Please request articles as copyright cleared if required for collaborative research or a piece of work where more than one person will need to use it, or if it is to be used in teaching. 

How long will it take to supply my request?
Our main supplier can usually satisfy requests within 2-10 days depending on availability. If we have to try several locations it may take longer. If a worldwide search is required this may add to the supply time. If we have failed to locate a copy in this country we would normally ask you whether you wish us to search abroad (provided the item is not solely a UK publication).

To speed up your requests it is important that you supply us with as much accurate bibliographic detail as you can. Please ensure that you state where the reference was cited so that, if necessary, we can quote it to our supplier.  

How will I know when the item has been supplied?
Journal articles and individual conference papers are supplied as a photocopy sent direct to the term time address we hold on your library record. Please ensure your address is up to date on your student record.  Books, whole journal issues, and full conference proceedings will be supplied for loan. If the item is for loan we will notify you of its arrival by email via your University email account and ask you to come to the Library to collect it. Items must be collected during staffed hours from the Floor 1 Helpdesk at City Campus and from the Customer Support Desk at Coach Lane Campus. During self service opening items can be returned to the Welcome Desk in the library at both City Campus and Coach Lane.

Note for Distance Learning students: Whilst articles requested through Interlibrary Loan will be posted out to you, books and any items for loan can only be collected from and returned to the library in person.

How long can I borrow items for?
Loan periods are set by the lending library and in some cases may be supplied for use in the Library only. We must adhere to any regulations governing the loan of the item. Most libraries will lend their stock for a month unless it is in heavy demand in their own institution.

What happens if there are problems with my request?
If we have any problems relating to your request we will contact you for further information.

Each site operates an Inter Library Loan service and may be contacted on the following numbers:

• City Campus Library - 0191 227 4140
• Coach Lane Library -  0191 215 6530

If you require more information please feel free to call us or email us at ask4help@northumbria.ac.uk.